01. Key takeaways

Leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc marched through central Delhi and held a rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, 1 November 2026, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The BJP dismissed the protest as a “drama”, disputed the turnout and criticised its timing. The Election Commission has defended its functioning.

Leaders of more than 19 Opposition parties in the INDIA bloc marched through central Delhi on Sunday, 1 November 2026, and addressed a rally at Ramlila Maidan to demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The bloc accuses the Election Commission of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rejected the allegations and held counter-marches.

02. What happened on Sunday

The march began at around 12:45 pm from the edge of Connaught Place and covered a 1.3 km route via Minto Road and Kamla Market, with leaders riding open-top buses, Hindustan Times reported. The convoy reached Ramlila Maidan at about 2:30 pm. Leaders present included Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah.

The Delhi Traffic Police had announced restrictions and diversions in central Delhi from 10 am to 5 pm for the event, according to The Hindu.

03. What Opposition leaders said

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, repeated the demand for the CEC’s removal. “I want to say to you, Gyanesh Kumar will be removed from the CEC post. Gyanesh Kumar will go to jail,” he said, as quoted by Hindustan Times. He also said, “We will not spread hatred; we will work with love but we will not let them destroy the Constitution.”

Mr. Gandhi alleged that names removed from the rolls after the 2024 general election made that election “illegal”. These are allegations; they have not been established by any court or inquiry.

Mr. Kharge demanded that Mr. Kumar be sent to jail “so that no one else dares to do such a thing again”, Hindustan Times reported. Mamata Banerjee said, “We will save democracy and bring it back,” according to ANI, as carried by The Hindu.

04. The run-up: a symbolic ‘impeachment’

On Saturday, 31 October, the bloc staged a symbolic “public impeachment” of the CEC and adopted a motion by a show of hands. It listed six charges against him, including the deletion of 13.2 crore voters through the SIR, The Hindu reported. Hindustan Times reported that the SIR has removed about 130 million names from the rolls, many of them in the absent, shifted or dead categories.

According to Hindustan Times, the Opposition has already submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu and filed a petition in the Supreme Court, and plans to meet the President again and launch state-level protests.

05. BJP’s response

Union Health Minister and former BJP president J.P. Nadda called the rally a “foolish and designed drama” and said holding it on 1 November, the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, amounted to “rubbing salt into the wounds of the Sikhs”, The Hindu reported. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Delhi traders had asked the Congress to postpone the rally until after Diwali.

BJP MP Sambit Patra disputed the turnout. “Out of 28,000 chairs, around 5,000-7,000 were empty at 3.30-4 p.m.,” he said, according to The Hindu. BJP president Nitin Nabin led a counter-march in Rohtak, Haryana.

06. Turnout and trader claims

Turnout figures differ widely. Opposition leaders had predicted a gathering of 10 lakh. Police did not share a figure, and Hindustan Times put estimates at around 50,000. A Delhi traders’ body, the Chamber of Trade and Industry, estimated that businesses lost over ₹10,000 crore because of the rally, The Hindu reported. Newsy has not independently verified these figures.

07. The Election Commission’s position

The Election Commission has defended its functioning. Responding to reports that two election commissioners recorded dissents, the ECI said differing views were a normal part of deliberation and that its digital platforms operated under strict data security protocols, Hindustan Times reported. Newsy did not find a specific Election Commission statement on Sunday’s rally at the time of writing.

08. Analysis: what can the Opposition actually do?

This section is Newsy’s analysis, not reported fact. Under Article 324(5) of the Constitution, a Chief Election Commissioner can be removed only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Supreme Court judge. That needs a motion passed by a special majority in both Houses of Parliament, which the Opposition does not have. The rally and the symbolic impeachment are therefore mainly political pressure. The more consequential tests are likely to be the pending Supreme Court case, the bloc’s plans for the Winter Session, and whether its allegations about the SIR hold up to independent scrutiny. With Uttar Pradesh and Punjab elections approaching, both sides are also using the dispute to mobilise supporters.

Related on Newsy: more national news in our India section; festive-season trade is also reflected in October’s ₹2.31 lakh crore GST collections.

09. FAQ

Why is the INDIA bloc protesting against the CEC?

The bloc alleges irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, including large-scale deletion of voters, and wants CEC Gyanesh Kumar removed. The Election Commission and the BJP reject the allegations.

Where and when was the rally held?

At Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on Sunday, 1 November 2026, after a march from the Connaught Place area.

How did the BJP respond?

BJP leaders called the rally a ‘drama’, disputed the turnout, criticised its timing on the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and held counter-marches.

Can the CEC be removed by protest?

No. Under Article 324(5) of the Constitution, removal requires the same process as for a Supreme Court judge: a special-majority motion in both Houses of Parliament.

10. Sources